For my classical conditioning experiment
I will try to play a loud sound on our home theater sound system every time they sit down. My roommate will be shocked by the volume and will twitch or slightly jump from their chair each time they hear the loud sound from the home theater sound system. I'll then go through this series of events contentiously for a day. As a result of classical conditioning, my roommate should jump every time he sits down since he expects to hear the loud and constant sound from the home theater. To set up this experiment, I need to connect my phone to our sound system and have the sound ready to play each time he comes into the room to sit.
Signal (NS)
Taking a seat
UCS
Play loud, incessant ringtone
UCR
Jumps in seat
CS
Taking a seat
CR
Jumps in seat
In an attempt to get my messy roommate to spread his bed neatly each day
I plan on using positive reinforcement in case they do accomplish the task, and negative punishment if he does not. In this respect, positive reinforcement will constitute a well-cooked breakfast with eggs and bacon. The smell of the food will function as the antecedent stimulus. Negative reinforcement to be used in the endeavor will comprise the lack of bacon and eggs for breakfast. The simultaneous use of reinforcement and punishment has proved an effective combination in operand conditioning (Wang, 2015). As such, on mornings where my roommate wakes up and neatly makes his bed, I will purpose to create a delicious breakfast of bacon and eggs. However, if my roommate does not make their bed, then no breakfast for them. Pursuing this permeation of operand conditioning should enable me to change my roommate's dirty habits.
To achieve change for the child who bites everyone and everything
Punishments, 1 and 2, are essential towards stopping her deplorable habit of biting people and animals. The antecedent stimulus for the biting response would be yelling her name, which will catch her attention and draw it away from the victim she is biting. Punishment 1 would constitute her isolation, for instance by instructing her to go to her room whenever she does bite someone or an animal such as her dog. The second punishment would entail the making her write down all the alternative actions she could take instead of biting a person. By doing writing down the alternatives to biting, at least 120 times, the child should not only deduce that they are being punished and as such, ought to, in turn, seek to reform their behavior. Secondly, they will appreciate different means by which to handle any aggravation or frustrating event that may be incident on them. I think that negative punishment and positive reinforcement would go a long way in altering the behavior of the child.
We all have siblings, and as such, we are inherently mandated to treat them in a respectable manner. For me, my little sister is my inspiration, and as such, she looks to me to provide her guidance on the means by which she could best conduct her life. In this scenario, I am the model, the observer is my sister, the behavior is practicing good dental hygiene, and the reinforcement to be employed is positive reinforcement in which I give her a ride on my shoulders each time she brushes her teeth on time. Since my sister loves hygiene, she will consider my proper dental hygiene behavior as desirable. Seeing as we are siblings, my little sister ought to have the innate desire to want to be like her older brother. Through imitation, the process of getting my little sister to brush her teeth regularly and on time will be efficiently accomplished. I have confidence that operand conditioning will not only lead to her performing the task but also embody it in her routine. According to Maxwell & Tappolet, (2012), modeling and observation require attentiveness and retention by the observer, and as such, the venture ought to enhance those elements of her cognition in the process.
References
Maxwell, B. & Tappolet, C. (2012). Rethinking Cognitive Mediation: Cognitive–Behavioral Therapy and the Perceptual Theory of Emotion. Philosophy, Psychiatry, & Psychology 19(1), 1-12. The Johns Hopkins University Press. Retrieved May 10, 2017, from Project MUSE database.
Wang, W. (2015). Cognition and Evaluation: A Dynamics of Scientific Theories and Experiments, vols. 1 and 2 by Ruey-Lin Chen (review). East Asian Science, Technology and Society: An International Journal 9(2), 221-224. Duke University Press. Retrieved May 10, 2017, from Project MUSE database.
